Comparison: WhatsApp Status Vs Instagram & Snapchat Stories

WhatsApp has brought a lot of changes in past few months. One of the major changes in WhatsApp we have witnessed is the WhatsApp Live Status. Initially, many of the WhatsApp users have sought against this change as the old style of WhatsApp status had a deep and positive impact on user experience for quite a long time.

However, WhatsApp official did stand on their decision yet they brought another change in the service to fulfill the needs of old WhatsApp Status. This was named as WhatsApp About. Thus, we can all the stuff we use to do with the old style WhatsApp status, yet we are introduced to a whole new thing in the name of WhatsApp Status or WhatsApp Live Status precisely.

Thus, we can all the stuff we use to do with the old style WhatsApp status, yet we are introduced to a whole new thing in the name of WhatsApp Status or WhatsApp Live Status precisely.

As of today’s post, I am comparing the new WhatsApp Status with Instagram and Snapchat Stories. Find out why is that.

WhatsApp Status Vs Instagram & Snapchat Stories

Making it clear, this article is about WhatsApp vs Instagram and Snapchat Stories. The Instagram and Snapchat stories are not compared to one another. Instead, all I am trying to figure out what WhatsApp Status has to do with Instagram or Snapchat Stories. Let’s break it into pieces.

WhatsApp Status: The Facebook acquired WhatsApp’s new status feature is much alike Instagram and Snapchat Stories. It is in fact inspired by those features. The WhatsApp status feature is placed on an additional Tab and can be uploaded with photos or video clips, or GIF either from device Gallery or using the device camera.

According to the CEO and Co-founder of WhatsApp Jan Koum, “We are rolling out an update to status, which allows you to share photos and videos with your friends and contacts on WhatsApp in an easy and secure way. Yes, even your status updates are end-to-end encrypted.”

Eventually, today, we can find a lot of similarities between WhatsApp Status feature and Instagram or Snapchat Stories. However, there are still differences found out. This comparison will put a spotlight on these differences and how does this change make impacts on user experience.

An Audience Perspective

WhatsApp is still a way far ahead from Instagram and Snapchat in terms of the number of users with over 1 billion downloads only in the Android platform. While Instagram and Snapchat have managed to gain over 300 million and 150 million respectively. Let’s see what the cited features have to do with the respective users.

Every new update in WhatsApp status can be seen only by the users who have your contact in their list. Or you can see the status updates of only users who are existing in your contact. In addition to that, you may also setup the limitation as only selected users can view your update.

Instagram Stories you share can be viewed by anyone on the platform unless you set up your viewing restriction is only for followers. You make changes in settings to hide your stories from selected persons.

Snapchat Stories, on the other hand, is open to anyone active on this platform.

Content Editing

All these three apps share a similar editing feature while updating a story or status. Editing the content (Photo, Video, and GIF) using emoticons, doodle, or text is provided by all these apps. However, there is some difference we can look for.

Before your Status goes live, you may keep a caption with the update and crop your image as desired.

On Instagram, you may doodle your content before uploading using various colors and draw hands-free with ink types as Thin, Thick, Glowy, etc.

One unique feature of Snapchat for content editing is that user may cut out any piece from a photo that can be added to the emoji gallery and use anytime.

Another common feature Instagram and Snapchat has is before uploading a story, the image can be modified with various filters. This feature does not exist in WhatsApp status.

Updating Option Using Device Camera

I have already mentioned that contents can be updated to WhatsApp status and Instagram/Snapchat Stories using the device camera as well. All you have to do is go to the updating option and select camera, capture a video clip or photo and then update. Now, it’s time to differentiate the camera feature of these three apps.

Alongside capturing video clips or images and uploading it to status, WhatsApp also lets you select and upload videos, GIFs, and images from the internal storage of your device. This feature does not exist in any of the rest apps.

While letting you to upload clicked images and videos through the app camera interface, Instagram comes with third-party apps as such Handsfree and Boomerang to get the job done.

Snapchat has options to upload stories only through the camera feature either it is a video clip or an image.

To Conclude

This article is not to conclude which app wins. But, to have an insight into the so called similar features between WhatsApp Status and Instagram or Snapchat Stories. Each app has its own style and value. It’s up to the users what they are looking for willing to go with.

However, one crystal clear fact besides all the WhatsApp facts is that, WhatsApp and Instagram owned company Facebook Inc. seems to be cloning many features of Snapchat to attract more users over the time.

About the author

Rocky Murasing

Rocky Murasing is a Pro. Blogger Associated with ChromeTechny Networks since of January 2016. Being a flexible contributor, he writes about almost everything.
Besides Blogging, he loves Adventure, Food, Movies, Creative Arts, Studying Human Psychology, etc.